Dana White on if Dustin Poirier is now a lightweight title contender

This past weekend UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier put on an amazing performance and picked up a big win against former World Series Of Fighting (WSOF) lightweight champion Justin Gaethje.

Poirier and Gaethje are two of the most down fighters on the UFC's roster, and fight fans expected them to put on an absolute barn-burner.

After three rounds of back-and-forth action Poirier finally was able to finish the fight in the opening seconds of the fourth.

He was able to connect on a combo that rocked Gaethje bad, before he finished the former champion who was out on his feet fairly quickly.

This is arguably the biggest win of Poirier's career, and he feels that he's ready for a huge step up in competition. The Diamond now wants a shot at the UFC lightweight championship, making some wonder if he's worthy.

When UFC President Dana White was asked if he thinks Poirier is a title contender, here's what he had to say (quotes via MMA Mania):

“Absolutely (he’s a title contender),” White said during the UFC on FOX 29 post-fight show on FOX Sports 2.

“He’s definitely in there. He was one of the guys we were thinking about calling last to take the fight (at UFC 223), but we didn’t want to screw up this event. Thank God we didn’t.”

Currently the UFC lightweight champion is Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is undefeated in his fighting career. Poirier thinks that he's ready to take on the likes of the Russian grappler and challenge for the promotion's ultimate prize:

“I’ve paid my dues,” Poirier said. “I’ve put nothing but hard work in. I’ve been close to the mountaintop and I’ve been knocked down.

"I’ve shown resilience and fortitude and I’ve done it over and over again to put myself back in the position I’m in, and I’m hitting my stride as a father, a fighter, a husband and a person.

"I’m ready to go, and gold is next. I smell it. I feel it in the air.”

What are your thoughts on Poirier's performance against Gaethje this past weekend in Arizona? Do you think he did enough to be considered a contender for the UFC lightweight championship? And how do you think he'd fair inside the Octagon against a fighter the calibre of Khabib Nurmagomedov? Let us know your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below!

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